Afghan Cops Shoot Bomb-Carrying Bird

Police in Afghanistan were puzzled by a large bird walking on the highway: The animal, which wasn't a local species, appeared to have an antenna. They shot it—and it exploded, an official tells NBC News. It left "suspicious metal stuff" behind, Maj. Gen. Abdul Nabi Ilham says of the odd moment in Faryab province, where Taliban attacks are common.

Investigators "found parts of what looks to be GPS and a small camera," Ilham says, adding that police haven't experienced anything like it before. They say the bird could have been a surveillance tool. Animals have in the past been used to carry bombs, but it's rare, NBC notes. The site has graphic video of the dead bird. (More Afghanistan stories.)